h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What about Blackpool?!
It's not that far out of the way (if you can get to Manchester, you can get to Blackpool), and there's plenty to do... and I need a new inflatable novelty hammer.

Blackpool sounds good as the Irish can get a ferry over to Liverpool or Heysham and work their way up or down.

Also Birmingham is fairly central and has trains from all corners arriving in it. So anywhere nearby to there would be ideal. Maybe some local researchers to these areas could over suggestions as to waht we could do although Blackpool we obviously know about.

Rollercoasters

If we were doing Blackpool we'd have to get a bit of a shift on, as the season probably ends quite soon. Late October? Anyone know when they switch the illuminations off?

*bounces in in a random fashion*
They switch them on on Friday and judging by what I've been told about the last get together if we drink the same amount again and then squint at street lights it'd seem the same whatever time of year we went

Btw, Birmingham? Admittedly all the trains from anywhere in the world get sent through there...but Birmingham?

*bounces out again in an equally random fashion*

The other thing is, I guess it helps if there are a few researchers in the area who may be able to put ppl up for whom its not a day trip away. Blackpool is an easy train journey from M/cr, but I can't put ppl up, for example...
Although I can see the point about h2g2 not wanting to be Londoncentric, the country, and especially the train services, are.

London costs a fortune to get to though and I only live in Sheffield so for those who live further north it'll cost even more. Besides that it's not very attractive is it, Blackpool would be much nicer and I'm quite sure the lights stay on until the end of January...

I don't know, I think it still rules out most people living down south... b/c its on the west of the country, with the apalling west coast mainline... ugh...
although, I've not seen the lights in ages....

Well, if you can't find a cheap B&B in Blackpool, where can you find one?

Edinburgh.

Any month but August.

So there'll be plenty of accommodation in Edinburgh in 40 minutes' time...
Anyway, according to http://www.blackpooltourism.com/ the illuminations are on from 1st September - 5th November.

The Pleasure Beach closes on November 5th too, so we'll have to:
(a) get a move on,
(b) leave it till next summer,
or (c) find somewhere else...

It's a good job we didn't decide to go for the turning on of the lights as they've got Billie *shudders* singing for them

Hmmm, Edinburgh does have good guest houses (the Roselea for one) but it's a long way away for most people

How about somewhere in land then if the train service to Blackpool is too bad? Although there is no sea...or lights...or funfair (ooh Alton Towers ). But purely out of lazyness reasons it would be easier to get to somewhere like Manchester or Sheffield as all the trains go through there. In fact all the trains go through York as well and that's really nice with many good pubs and stuff?

Just a random thought... What about Oxford? It's close to London, and well connected to most of the major other cities, and it's quite a funky place...

Plenty to do, lots of open spaces. Coffee houses. History. Activities.

Oxford does have possibilities.

But if we're going somewhere close to London, why not just go to London?

True. How about 2 mile norht of Watford Gap.

I think one of the key things is whatever to have the place and everything planned well in advance so's ppl who want to go by train can get cheaper advanced booking fares.
The other thing is, that it takes much longer to go cross country than to London for comparable or even smaller distances.

Well, Oxford's a major city, but it's a small city... and since it's not london, it's not easy to get lost, and it doesn't take you an hour to get from one side to another. Also, Oxford is a lot cheaper than London.

*face lights up*
Oxfords a brilliant idea it has a good night life, many fun attractions, (Jenson Button) very good pubs and from a purely selfish reason my bestest mate in the whole world is going to Uni there soon and this'll be a great excuse to go and visit
As long as we plan it so it's no where near University college as that scares me...
But other than that trains from everywhere go there, it's further up north than London so it's cheaper but is still far enough south for the trains and transport to be useful...and they have Bens Cookie shop which is the bestest cookie shop in the world ever

Sorry did you mention Jenson Button. Ok I'm hooked.